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Guide for New Students

Welcome to the Guide for New Students/New Majors page of the Sociology/Anthropology department of Carleton College! Here you'll find advice from previous majors to help you in your decisions concerning SOAN classes you may take during your time at Carleton.

Quick Reference

What is the study of Sociology?

"If there are any ways out of the crises of our period by means of intellect, is it not up to the social scientist to state them?  What we represent--although this is not always apparent--is man become aware of mankind.  It is on the level of human awareness that virtually all solutions to the great problems must now lie"

--C. Wright Mills, The Sociological Imagination

Sociology is a branch of the social sciences that uses systematic methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop and refine a body of knowledge about human social structure and activity, sometimes with the goal of applying such knowledge to the pursuit of social welfare. Its subject matter ranges from the micro level of face-to-face interaction to the macro level of societies at large.

What is the study of Anthropology?

“Are you as interested as I am in knowing how, when, and where human life arose, what the first human societies and languages were like, why cultures have evolved along diverse but often remarkably convergent pathways, why distinctions of rank came into being, and how small bands and villages gave way to chiefdoms and chiefdoms to mighty states and empires?”

--Marvin Harris, Our Kind

Anthropology seeks to uncover principles of behavior that apply to all human communities. To an anthropologist, diversity itself—seen in body shapes and sizes, customs, clothing, speech, religion, and worldview—provides a frame of reference for understanding any single aspect of life in any given community. In truth, any detail of our behavior can be understood better when it is seen against the backdrop of the full range of human behavior. (AAA 2009).

Pros and cons of taking both intro courses during your first year at Carleton

There are two basic routes you can take when entering the SOAN major. The first is to take both Introduction to Sociology and Introduction to Anthropology during your first year at Carleton, which provides useful grounding in basic Sociological/Anthropological theory. Alternatively, you can choose to take only one and sample upper-level courses before making your decision to major, taking the second introductory course later on. Majors are required to take at least one of these introductory courses.

Pros and cons of taking a 200-level course during your first year

It’s common for there to be a certain amount of reservation during your first year at taking 200-level and above classes. This most commonly stems from the increased workload. It’s true that typically 200-level classes will have a greater reading or writing component than a 100-level, but there are benefits to taking them as well. Perhaps the biggest is that the 200-levels are more focused in their scope, examining such topics as religion, economy, gender, health, specific geographic or cultural regions, or conflict. Taking one of these can address current interests you might have, or spark a new one. Also, it gives you a greater understanding of the subfields of SO/AN.

What are my options for meeting the stats requirement?

The SOAN department has added a new course - SOAN 239: Social Data Analysis - which teaches statistics within the context of sociology and anthropology. While we recommend taking SOAN 239, students may still choose to take MATH 115 or MATH 215.

Which classes within the major fulfill Distros?

All classes within the SOAN major can help you fulfill your 18 required distribution credits in the Social Sciences with the exception of the classes taken on the SOAN Off-Campus study programs in Guatemala and SOAN 400: Integrative Thesis (a.k.a. Comps).

The following classes will fulfill the Writing Requirement (WR2):

  • SOAN 110: Intro to Anthropology (most sections)
  • SOAN 210: Principles of Demography
  • SOAN 215: Social Welfare
  • SOAN 226:Anthropology of Gender
  • SOAN 229: Demography of the Family
  • SOAN 242: Qualitative Methods
  • SOAN 256: Ethnography of Africa
  • SOAN 257: Culture and Politics in India
  • SOAN 261: Imagining Indonesia: Pluralism and Unity
  • SOAN 262: Anthropology of Health & Illness
  • SOAN 276: Comparative Social Welfare
  • SOAN 280: Statistical Tools for Quantitative Reasoning
  • SOAN 295: Guatemala Program: Field Methods and Individual Research Project
  • SOAN 308: Working Across the Lifecourse
  • SOAN 395: Ethnography of Reproduction

The following classes will fulfill a QRE requirement (Quantitative Reasoning Encounter):

  • SOAN 100: Myths of Crime
  • SOAN 202: Girls Gone Bad: Women, Crime and Criminal Justice
  • SOAN 210: Principles of Demography
  • SOAN 229: Demography of the Family
  • SOAN 239: Explorations in Social Data Analysis
  • SOAN 240: Methods of Social Research
  • SOAN 275: Community Needs Assessment
  • SOAN 280: Statistical Tools for Quantitative Reasoning
  • SOAN 308: Working Across the Lifecourse

More information about our course offerings can also be found at http://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/soan/courses/

Major progression

For more information regarding your progress through the major, please go to http://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/soan/major/progress/

Which classes are designated as freshman/sophomore priority?

Certain courses are offered as freshman or sophomore priority so that prospective majors can experience the fundamental courses before they need to declare. Please check with the Office of the Registrar for an up-to-date list of these classes. More information can be found here: http://apps.carleton.edu/campus/registrar/schedule/

Goals Carleton SOAN hopes to instill in its majors by graduation

The SOAN department does not impart a set of professional skills so much as educate its students to see the world through the eyes of a social scientist. In training students to view human events from a number of perspectives, SOAN develops the analytical and problem-solving skills necessary for any career. Graduates will have a strong grasp of qualitative and quantitative modes of analysis, knowledge of key theoretical developments in Sociology/Anthropology, and knowledge about various kinds of inequalities or social stratification based on ethnicity, race, class, and/or gender.

Classes with a Civic Engagement component

Recently, several departments at Carleton have experimented with classes that feature a civic engagement component, where the work done for the class not only helps the student gain a better understanding of topics and issues concerning the greater Northfield area, but actually assists the community by presenting their results. The students, the professors, and the community have found this initiative to be extremely positive. A list of the classes within the major that feature this component are listed below.

SOAN 262: Anthropology of Health and Illness
Instructor: Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg

In this course students partnered with HealthFinders and Growing Up Healthy. Students working with Growing Up Healthy conducted library-based research to better understand specific subpopulations (such as the Somali population in Faribault) and specific issues (such as refugee mental health, or culturally specific presentation of symptoms) of relevance to GUH's goals. Those working with HealthFinders helped developed and administered surveys to English and Spanish speakers. Students also organized and led focus groups and did participant observation of waiting rooms. This project culminated in a presentation to the Board of HealthFinders.

SOAN 395: Public Sociology
Instructor: Adrienne Falcón

Students in this course conducted needs-based assessments of Northfield and the Rice Country area to identify potential projects and collaborations between Carleton and local organizations. Groups of students focused specifically on the arts, business, and housing sectors. Within these sectors, students interviewed staff members of local organizations and government offices. At the end of the term, students created reports of their sectors and presented their findings in a presentation in which community partners were invited to attend.

Recent comps

Students have written their comprehensive assessment theses on a wide range of topics. A list is available here.

What can you do with the major?

To learn more about SOAN skills and the paths chosen by recent graduates, check our Opportunities Beyond Carleton page.

Further information

Feel free to contact our Student Departmental Advisors, Izzy Durham and John Trevino, about any further questions you might have.   

For information regarding involvement within the department, including becoming a SOAN student worker, an SDA or DCC, please contact the departmental administrative assistant, Liz Musicant.